Brake



BRAKE E. E. BENEDICT Filed April 1e, 1936 March l, 1938.

Patented airesA at.

yThis invention relates to brake constructions designed particularly Vior use upon automotive vehicles and embodying radially movable shoes and means for supporting the shoes and moving 5 them into frictional engagement with the brake tuation thereof to bodily move the shoes outy wardly in a radial direction for engagement with the brake drum.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a brake structure wherein shoe supporting and actuating means exerts pressure upon actuation thereof equally on the ends of a pair of brake shoes of segmental form to move said shs bodily in a radial direction with respect to the brake drum so that the braking action induced m by frictional engagement of the shoes with the drum is equally distributed over both shs.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a brake structure wherein a pair of segmental shoes are supported by actuating means 25 in diametrically opposed relation whereby upon actuation of said actuating means the shoes are moved radially with respect to the drum with which they engage, the said means being connected to the shoes adjacent to their ends and 3o' being so constructed that they maintain the shoes in proper relation with respect to the drum and resist the torsional 4stresses set up by frictional engagement of the shoes with the drum when the latter is rotating which would ordinarily cause 3o uneven wear of the brake lining material.

With the above and other ends in view the invention consists in matters hereinafter more particularly pointed out with reference to the accompanying drawing in which VFigure 1 is a vertical section of the brake;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2 -2 Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a brake shoe.

Like characters o! reference are employed 45 throughout to designate corresponding parts.

'Ihe numeral I designates a brake drum adapted to be secured to a vehicle wheel in a manner well known in the art. 2 designates the stationary brake flange adapted to be secured to a drumasillustrated. Withinthedrumlisa pair of shoes l and 4 of segmental form having brake lining material 5 on the outer surfaces thereof. Ihe shoe 3- is provided with a reinforc- 55 ing web I and the shoe 4 with the reinforcing web -50 stationary part of the vehicle adjacent to the,

.'i. The web 6 is formed with a groove 8 and a slot 9 adjacent one end thereof and with a groove I0 and slot Il adjacent the other end. 'I'he web 1 has a groove I2 and a slot I3 adjacent one end and a groove I4 and slot I5 adjacent its other 5 end. An arcuate lever 'I6 is pivotally supported by a pivot pin l'l on the brake ange 2 and has one end extending into the groove 8 and carrying a pin IB which extends through the slots 9. 'I'he other end of the lever I6 extends into the groove '10 I4 in the web l and carries a pin I9 which extends through the slots I5. A second lever of arcuate form is pivotally attached to the brake ange 2 by a pin 2i. -One end of the lever 20 ex tends into the groove I2 and carries a pin 22 1 5 which extends into the slots I3 and the other end o f the lever 2 0 extends into the groove III and carries a pin 23 which extends into the slots II.- A tension spring 24 has its opposite ends connected to the levers Il and 20 as designated 20 at 2l and 26. A

An actuating means for the brake is shown by .way of example and comprises a hydraulic cham- -the shs I and 4 move outwardly the adjacent endsof levers I8 and I1 are caused to move outwardly and to rock upon their pivots so as to move the other ends of the shoes outwardly an amount equal to the movement caused at the end 'where the rods 3I and 32 are connected to the shoes. The shoesthus are guided so that they move in a radial direction-and by forming the 40 outer surface of the lining material with an arc corresponding to that of the braking surface of the drum I the contact between the shoes and the drum will be uniform throughout the entire length of the shoes. The braking action is thus distributed over the entire shoe surface with the lresult that wear takes place uniformly. Upon relieving the iiuid pressure in the port 28 the spring 24 causes the levers I6 and 20 to rock in an opposite direction to carry the shoes out of engagement with the drum.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed it` will be understood that various changes may be made .within the scope of the appended claims witlzout departing from the spirit of the invention and such changes are contemplated.

What I claim isz- 1. In a wheel brake mechanism, a rotatable drum, a stationary support, a pair of shoes adapted for engagement with said drum., a pair of rocking levers, means located on said support on diametrically opposite sides of the axis of said drum and supporting said leversindividually for rocking movement, each lever being of greater length on one side of its pivot than on the other side, said levers having their .longer portions crossed, means connecting opposite ends 'of said levers to opposite ends of said shoes, and means acting between adjacent ends of opposed shoes for moving said shoes, the point at which said levers cross being disposed remote from the central zone of the drum and the points at which said levers are pivoted and diametrically opposite from the means for moving said shoes.

2. In a brake mechanism, a rotatable drum, a stationarysupport, a pair of shoes adapted for engagement with said drum., means for moving said shoes, a pair of rocking levers connected to. opposite ends of opposite shoes, pivots mounted on said stationary support on diametrically op` posite sides of the axis thereof and individually supporting said levers whereby said levers rock lupon movement of said-)shoes and cause equal 40 sides of the axis thereof and individually supporting said levers for rocking movement whereby' arcanes said levers rock upon movement of said shoes and cause equal straight'line movement of opposite' ends of said shoes, said stationary support having bearing surfaces adjacent said pivots and engaging said levers to confine movement thereof to a'plane transverse of the drum with said plane substantially midway between the side edges of said shoes.

4. In a brake mechanism, a rotatable drum, 'a stationary support, a pair of shoes adapted for engagement with said drum, said shoes having a reinforcing web centrally disposed with respect to the side edges thereof, said webs having grooves in the ends thereof, levers individually pivoted on lsaid stationary support, opposite ends of opposite levers being disposed in the grooves in opposite ends of opposite shoes, slot and pin means securing the ends of said levers in respective slots, said stationary support having' bearing surfaces adjacent said pivots and engaging said levers to confine movement thereof to a plane transverse to the drum with said plane passing substantially midway between the side edges of said shoes.

`5. In a brake mechanism, a rotatable drum, a stationary support, a pair of shoes adapted for engagement with saiddrum, means for moving said shoes, a pair of rocking levers connected to oppodte ends of opposite shoes, pivots mounted on said stationary support on diametrically `opposite sides of the axis thereof and individually supporting said levers for rocking movement whereby said levers rock upon movement of said shoes and cause equalstraight line movement of opposite ends of said shoes, said stationary support having a disk-like form and being disposed outwardly of the drum whereby it provides a closure therefor, the portion of said support in` which the pivots are mounted being formed to extend inwardly of the drum to dispose said pivots substantially in the mid plane of the drum.

ERNEST E. BENEDICT. 

